Blackmail
by Romione4Life
Summary: Hanna is being coerced into doing horrible things by A, and as she complies, she slowly begins to chip away at everything she's managed to achieve. Takes place in season 1, episodes 13, 14, and 15.


**Author's Note: I'm happy to be making my Pretty Little Liars fanfiction debut with this short piece about our dear friend Hanna. Please keep in mind that this was written by someone who hasn't read the books and has only seen the first 17 episodes of the TV show. Also, huge thanks to Lady Elena Dawson for being a super supportive and helpful friend/beta reader and for introducing me to the show!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pretty Little Liars!**

* * *

Hanna stared in disgust at the box on the table. Six cupcakes. Half a dozen. Only she would be crazy enough – no, only she would be desperate enough to eat them all.

She should've guessed something like this was coming. Of course A would want to humiliate her as much as possible. They would know that Hanna would never refuse. Not under these conditions. A was able to reveal far too much for her to disobey their orders.

Hanna picked up the first cupcake and bit into it. Most people would probably love to get paid to eat junk food. Not Hanna. For her, the sweet treats brought back memories. Horrible memories of days she never wanted to relive.

To Hanna's dismay, a small group of high school guys gathered at sat at a table near hers. "Oink, oink," one of the boys teased her, catching sight of her cupcakes. His friends grinned and snickered.

Hanna could feel tears pricking the corners of her eyes. She hastily blinked them away. She would not give those boys the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Besides, they would never understand her situation and the consequences she would face if she ignored A.

_If you don't eat these cupcakes, your mom will be in huge trouble, and it'll be your fault, _Hanna told herself firmly. _Your family needs to come first._

* * *

She was dancing. With Lucas. Even though she was supposed to be dancing with Sean.

Was A going to take away everything she had worked so hard to attain?

It wasn't so bad when the only person she was hurting was herself. But now other people were being unknowingly dragged into this mess too. People she loved.

Hanna glanced over at Sean. He was standing against the wall, alone, his expression stony. She wished there was some way to explain everything to him. But what was she supposed to say? _Hey, Sean, I'm only dancing with Lucas to keep my mom out of jail. It doesn't mean anything._

Yeah, right. Like he'd believe that.

She was earning $200 for every dance she shared with Lucas. Yet it felt like every step she took cost more than all the money A had stolen put together. Was it really worth it to put her relationships on the line for a few thousand dollars?

_Family first,_ Hanna reminded herself. And Sean, as special as he was, didn't fall into the 'family' category. With that thought in mind, Hanna quickly plastered a smile on her face and turned back to look at Lucas. Poor, oblivious Lucas.

* * *

The cupcakes were terrible. The dancing was awful. But this, _this_ was too much.

Hanna couldn't believe how far she was going in order to protect her mom. As she slid the envelope with the enclosed ticket into Mrs. Montgomery's slot, her mind was screaming at her to take it back and rip it up.

_This is Aria we're talking about here. You can't do this to her. She's your best friend._

Hanna pushed these thoughts away and left the envelope in the box. Her mom was clearly more important than Aria's boyfriend. Aria would understand, right?

But as much as she tried to let it go, the thing she'd done stayed with her, eating at her conscience until she could hardly bear it. Guilt consumed her every time Aria talked to her, probably expecting support and advice, and all Hanna could give her was lies. She didn't know how long she could keep up the façade. Surely Aria would soon be able to see right through her.

The worst part was that she had no one to turn to, no one to confide in. She was all alone.

Then Aria came to her one final time, cell phone in hand, confused and outraged that A would try to break up her friendships. Hanna couldn't take it anymore. She was tired of deception and keeping secrets. So before she could stop herself, she blurted out the truth.

Aria was shocked and upset. Hanna didn't blame her. She was ashamed of herself and what she was willing to do for money. She'd let A control her, manipulate her.

That night, Hanna cried herself to sleep. She hated A, but mostly, she hated herself. A's demands had caused her to lose her self-confidence, her dignity, and her trustworthiness, and she hadn't done a single thing to stop it.

Now she had nothing left.


End file.
